WASHINGTON – A House committee gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill that would let gun owners with concealed-carry permits cross state lines without prior approval, as long as they followed local concealed-carry laws.

The strict party-line vote by the House Judiciary Committee followed a full day of debate, during which Democrats called the bill federal overreach that panders to the gun lobby, while Republicans argued it is just a logical extension of the Second Amendment.

The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act now heads to the full House, where supporters are optimistic about its chances: The bill already has 213 co-sponsors, including every Republican member of the Arizona delegation.

Arizona is one of a handful of states that does not require a permit carry a concealed weapon for a person who is 21 or older and otherwise allowed to possess a firearm.

The National Rifle Association this week, in a post urging its members to call their elected officials, called the reciprocity act its “highest legislative priority in Congress.” It called the law “commonsense follow-up” to laws allowing concealed carry.